Never Too Late: Argentina's Marco Trungelliti Scripts ATP Tour History At 36

Last Updated:April 05, 2026, 13:11 IST

At 36, Marco Trungelliti becomes the oldest first-time ATP finalist, stunning top seed Luciano Darderi in Marrakech.

Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti just delivered a reminder that tennis dreams don’t come with an expiry date.

At 36, the qualifier stormed into his first-ever tour-level final, becoming the oldest debut finalist of the Open Era with a statement win at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.

Standing in his way was the top seed and defending champion Luciano Darderi — against whom Trungelliti didn’t blink.

The Argentine edged the Italian 6-4, 7-6(2), snapping a long-standing record held by Victor Estrella Burgos, who had reached his first final at 34 back in 2015.

The gap between the two semi-finalists says it all: Darderi, currently ranked 19, was just six years old when Trungelliti turned pro in 2008. Yet on Saturday, it was the veteran who looked fresher, sharper, and hungrier.

The win also marked only his second career victory over a top-20 opponent.

“Of course, I believed it, that’s one of the reasons that I’m here. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible," Trungelliti said on court, keeping it simple but loaded with meaning.

“I’ve worked a lot, my team and I, and also my wife, my kid. We all believed in breaking the record basically, and that’s exactly what we have done now."

Trungelliti’s previous best, a semi-final run in Umag in 2018, came a staggering 402 weeks ago. Since then, it’s been a grind through lower-tier events, qualifiers, and near-misses.

Ranked 117 coming in, he’s now guaranteed a return to the top 100 — currently sitting at No. 75 in the live rankings — and he’s done it in some style, dropping just one set all tournament.

“It’s been happening the whole week, leaving the court with a victory," he said. “So hopefully (there) is one more to go."

Standing between him and a fairytale title is Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who cruised past Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-2, 6-1 to deny an all-Argentine final.

(with Reuters inputs)

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